TINIGE' LIYANG

TINIGE' LIYANG Tinige' Liyang (lit. "cave writing") is a proposed writing system for the Chamorro language. Chamorro is an Austronesian language spoken by about 58,000 people on the island of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. Chamorro is classified as threatened, with the number of native speakers in decline with each generation, however there have been a number of efforts to revitalize the language and keep this connection to our history and culture alive.  Alongside the resurgence of interest in learning the language, an important topic of debate among Chamorros is decolonization. After a number of oppressive occupations from foreign countries, the Chamorro people have been pushing to define for themselves what it means to be Chamorro in the modern era. In particular, finding the parts of our culture that have survived through centuries of colonization and incorporating those values and traditions into our modern lives. Tinige' Liyang is one such attempt to...